The present invention is directed generally to furniture, and more particularly to cabinets.
Many cabinets, particularly those found in kitchens and bathrooms, include a central storage cavity that is raised a few inches from the underlying surface. Such cabinets often include a floor that defines the bottom of the storage cavity, and are designed such that the front portion of the cabinet beneath the floor is recessed rearwardly from the front frame of the cabinet. This configuration enables a person to stand close to the front of the cabinet to, for example, use a sink or peer into a mirror; because the lower front portion of the cabinet is recessed, the person""s feet can fit into the space, enabling the person to be positioned closer to the sink or mirror than would otherwise be the case.
Typically, such cabinets have a panel, called a xe2x80x9ctoe kick plate,xe2x80x9d that covers the recessed front lower portion of the cabinet. The toe kick plate is attached to the front edges of the side walls (usually to cutaway sections located on the lower front portions of the side walls). Traditionally, the toe kick plate and the side walls were joined with a wooden block that was nailed to the inner surfaces of the toe kick plate and the side walls. However, joints of this configuration can be prone to having gaps between the walls, which may enable pests to enter the cabinet. In addition, installation of the toe kick plate can be rather cumbersome with this joining technique.
To address this undesirable situation, plastic connectors for toe kick plates were developed; an exemplary connector is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,687 to Robinson et al. This connector includes perpendicular flanges that overlie the inner surfaces of the side walls and toe kick plate. A small retaining portion overlies the end of the outer surface of the toe kick plate, such that the toe kick plate is retained between the flange and the retaining portion. The flange that overlies the inner surface of the side wall is fastened thereto, usually with screws, nails, or staples. A hollow, generally rectangular body portion is positioned in front of the front edge of the side wall and outwardly from the outer edge of the toe kick plate and serves to fill the gap between these edges. The connector tends to fill the gaps between the toe kick plate and the side walls to prevent pest entry and is relatively easy to install, as the operator can simply position each end of the toe kick plate between the retaining portion and associated flange, place the other flange against the side walls of the cabinet, and quickly fasten them in place. This configuration may also facilitate replacement of the toe kick plate if necessary.
Although this connector has generally been popular, it has some shortcomings for some cabinets. For example, some customers may prefer the appearance of wood to that of the plastic connector, which covers the front edge of the side wall. As such, it would be desirable to provide a connector that can easily join a toe kick plate to the side walls of a cabinet but allows much of the front edge of the side wall to be visible.
The present invention is directed to an enclosure, such as a cabinet, that includes a connector that joins a front panel, like a toe kick plate, to a side wall. The enclosure comprises: a pair of side walls, each of the side walls extending longitudinally and having a front edge and an inner surface; a front plate extending transversely and having a front surface, a rear surface, and a pair of opposed side edges; and a connector. The connector comprises: a main panel having inner and outer surfaces and a front end, the outer surface overlying the inner surface of a first one of the side walls; a first support panel extending generally perpendicularly from an intermediate portion of the inner surface of the main panel and overlying the rear surface of the front plate; a first retaining flange extending generally perpendicularly from the front end of the inner surface of the main panel and overlying the front surface of the front plate; and a second retaining flange extending generally perpendicularly from the front end of the outer surface of the main panel and overlying the side edge of the first side wall. The enclosure further comprises a fastener fixing the connector to the first side wall extending through the main panel and into the first side wall. In this configuration, the toe kick plate or other front panel can be easily connected to the side walls with the connector and can visually display the side edge of the side wall.
In one embodiment, a connector for such an enclosure comprises: a main panel having inner and outer surfaces and a front end; a toe kick support panel extending generally perpendicularly from an intermediate portion of the inner surface of the main panel; a toe kick retaining flange extending generally perpendicularly from the front end of the inner surface of the main panel, the toe kick retaining flange, the toe kick support panel, and the main panel inner surface defining an open toe kick channel; and a side edge retaining flange extending generally perpendicularly from the front end of the outer surface of the main panel. In certain embodiments, the toe kick retaining flange and the side edge retaining flange are directly opposite each other across the main panel.